TBS keen on standards in sunflower oil seed business

The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has cautioned entrepreneurs dealing with sunflower oil seed businesses that they must adhere to set standards to ensure products entering the markets are safe for human consumption.

The TBS Corporate and Public Affairs Officer, Ms Rhoida Andusamile told the 'Daily News' in Dar es Salaam that there were increasing concerns of safety and quality of edible oil in the wake of a booming sunflower oil seed business.

“Adhering to TBS standards is not an option.

"There are modern equipment for testing the quality of edible oil and giving them standard marks before they are introduced into the market for human consumption,” she said in an interview.

The recent report named the ‘Sunflower Sector in Tanzania - A Great Potential for Industrial Competitiveness' shows that the minimum national demand for edible oil is exceeding 220,000 tons per year. Sunflower is mostly grown in the central corridor, particularly in Dodoma and Singida regions and about 50 per cent of farmers are engaged in oilseeds production.

In the meantime, Murzah Oil Mills Ltd, one of the large processors last week announced it would procure all crude sunflower oil for further refining to meet the quality standards of cooking oil for human consumption.

Murzah Oil Mills Ltd Director Mr Imran Daud said in a telephone interview that the company was promoting sunflower farmers in the country by purchasing their produce directly in large quantities.

Tanzania is one country among others in the world producing sunflower oilseeds for raw materials in processing cholesterol-free edible cooking oil with a by-product used as livestock feeds. Currently sunflower oil makes about 13 per cent of the world edible oil production.